Cook was technically guilty of both, although Jonny Bairstow should have dived to go for the first chance, when Stuart Broad drew an edge from Rogers in the fourth over of the day.

An edge for Warner followed soon afterward, this one far more straightforward but shelled by the captain.

Warner departed chasing quick runs, feathering a cut to the wicketkeeper off the bowling of Ben Stokes, but Shane Watson picked up where Warner left off, and Rogers played briskly and brilliantly.

There will be questions asked over Monty Panesar's role, too—in the second innings he was reduced to a bystander for much of the day, only called to bowl by the time part-timer Joe Root was into his second spell of the day.

Panesar picked up the wicket of Rogers late on, but it was scarcely a consolation.

In fact, with Australia closing out the game midway through the afternoon session on Day 4, perhaps the only consolation is that there is just one more Test left to play before their miserable series is over.